Light emitting elements in the form of LEDs are widely used in display screens, particularly for large scale applications. Larger scale applications include advertising screens, information screens, such as, but not limited to, those in building lobbies, airports, train stations and the like and for entertainment purposes, such as, but not limited to, those used at concerts and in television studios.
With reference to FIG. 1A, to achieve the large display screens typically required for such applications, one type of large LED display screen 2 comprises a plurality of smaller display modules 4a, 4b which are coupled together. Such modules must be physically held together in the desired formation to form the finished complete screen. The modules must also be coupled together with regard to both power and data transmission so as to power the LEDs 6 of each module and to cause the array of LEDs on each module to display the respective portion of the overall images being displayed.
Larger scale LED display screens are producing higher resolution images by reducing the LED pitch size, i.e., by reducing the distance between the centers of adjacent LEDs and hence increasing the number of LEDs per unit area. As the pitch size decreases, it is increasingly important to accurately align adjacent display modules. Misalignment of modules results in distorted images being displayed and thus the image quality is impaired. Improving or even maintaining image quality in the presence of decreasing LED pitch size is becoming increasingly important and difficult.
Many applications require LED display screens to conform to one or more curved surfaces. With reference to FIG. 1B, when the screen 2 is bent to conform to a curved surface, display module 4a is at an angle to display module 4b, such that the pitch size between the LEDs 6 at the connecting points of the adjacent modules is different from the pitch size within each module, which also leads to distorted images. A gap 8 is also created between adjacent modules, which is unsightly and produces a display screen with poor aesthetics. Existing display module coupling systems cannot maintain the proper LED pitch size between adjacent modules.
Some display screens are flexible, which is achieved by using suitable materials that enable the individual display modules forming the screen to bend. However, as shown in FIG. 1B and as noted above, bending the display modules changes the pitch size between adjacent modules resulting in distorted images being displayed. The problem is exacerbated with increasing curvature of the modules.
Some known methods of coupling LED display modules for flexible large scale displays comprise interlocking ridge and lip arrangements. However, these methods do not maintain the desired or proper pitch size between adjacent modules. At least some of these methods also have the drawback that access to the modules from the front of the module, for example, for maintenance or test purposes, is not possible. Therefore, access must be via the rear of the module. Since the displays are often mounted to a curved surface, access from the rear can also be difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, in some cases, the displays must be dismantled and/or removed from their mounting to permit access.
Another problem with conventional flexible displays is that the power and logical connections at the rear of the multiple modules can be cluttered, which can be time consuming to disconnect and diagnose problems during maintenance. This problem is exacerbated with the size of the display and the increasing numbers of modules.
Where large scale LED displays are used in external environments, another requirement is that the LED screens and their components need to be waterproof.
Accordingly, it is one of objectives of the present disclosure to provide a system and/or method and/or apparatus for coupling LED display modules that address or at least ameliorate one or more of the aforementioned problems of the prior art, and to provide consumers with a useful commercial alternative.